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Tag Archives: Demons

Pyewacket stars Nicole Munoz as Leah, a teenage girl frustrated at her life after her mother decides to uproot and move out into the countryside. In an act of desperation, Leah summons a demon called Pyewacket to kill her mother, however later has a change of heart. But Pyewacket has already been summoned, and it won’t go away empty handed.

Superbly crafted and dripping with tension, Pyewacket is a slow burner. Time is taken to get to know each of the characters, and to understand Leah’s frustration at being separated from her friends and been taken out of her comfort zone. It also shows that if you do believe in black magic and the occult, then you really shouldn’t take it lightly and should always be careful what you wish for.

Leah and her friends feel like real people, still in that moody teenager phase and treating black magic as a novelty. Leah’s petulant reaction over having to move house also seems like something a typical teenager would do. Nothing ever feels cliche or run of the mill. It’s refreshing to watch a horror movie that is true horror, and treats the audience with respect, rather than resorting to cheap jump scares and the like.

The final third is very impressive, and whilst the horror is stepped up, it never loses its identity and caves to typical horror tropes. The ending will be talked about for a long time. A horror movie that is genuine terror all the way through and teaches you to never mess with things you don’t understand.

When an archaeologist, Dr. George Hacker (Christopher Connelly) opens a tomb in Egypt, he unleashes an evil spirit which latches onto his young daughter. Upon the family’s arrival in New York, a series of grisly murders and strange occurrences begin to take place.

An amulet which is give to the young girl may hold the secret to the identity of the spirit and how the family can free themselves from its clutches. This is certainly a strange movie, and it looks very dated. The effects are certainly ropey in places, which I believe was down to the production company not getting all of the budget they requested.

Lucio Fulci had a good few movies out during the 80’s and a lot of them are cult classics like The Beyond, The New York Ripper and Zombie Flesh Eaters to name but a few. Sadly this is not up there with his greatest hits. That’s not to say it isn’t entertaining, because it is, but it’s just not as memorable. It’s nice to see Lucio Fulci use proper locations to tell the story, rather than wooden sets, and the cast give 100% in every scene.

There is some decent gore on offer, one place where Fulci has always delivered in my humble opinion. I did notice that it stars that annoying blonde kid from Fulci’s other great horror ‘The House by the Cemetery’, and he has an encounter with some scorpions which was hilarious to watch. There is a lot to like about these Italian horrors though. I love the dodgy dubbing over each actors original voice, and the hammy acting on display always makes things fun to watch. The effects are fun too, like the dodgy stuffed birds dangling on wires.

Manhattan Baby is certainly worth a watch for fans of Lucio Fulci’s work, but it’s sure to divide those that love his other movies. Manhattan Baby is available now on DVD from the fine folks over at Shameless Screen Entertainment:

I promised my good buddy Jamie that I’d do a review of Lamberto Bava’s ‘Demons’, so here it is. This is brilliantly trashy 80’s horror from Italian horror legend Lamberto Bava, son of the brilliant Mario Bava. A mysterious stranger appears in a metro station and begins to hand out flyers inviting people to attend a horror movie showing in a local cinema. The people arrive in their droves and begin to check the cinema out before the movie starts. One of the patrons called Tony (Bobby Rhodes) is attending with two females, one of who starts fooling around with a silver mask hanging on a statue. The mask cuts her face prompting her to put the mask back.

The film the people have arrived to watch begins. In it there is a group of students investigating some ruins, where it is rumoured that Nostradamus is buried. When they find the grave all that’s inside is a dusty old book and a mask wrapped in cloth. One of the students takes the cloth off and is presented with a sliver mask, similar to the one in the cinema foyer. One of the students begins fooling with the mask and it cuts his face. His friend tells him to stop as it is said in the book that anyone who puts the mask on will become possessed by a demon. The female accomplice of Tony who also wore the mask panics as it’s similar to what happened to her. She retreats to the bathroom where her cut pulsates and explodes with pus seeping from it. Her friend comes to the toilet to see what is wrong with her and is presented with a yellow eyed demon spewing green goo from her mouth. Pretty soon, one by one, the cinema goers are possessed by the demons. Now it’s up to a small group to battle the evil and try find a way out of the cinema.

This film is great fun. However it’s fun for some of the wrong reasons. The acting is not the best, and the dialogue is cringe worthy at times. That being said, Bobby Rhodes who plays Tony the Pimp is a joy to watch. He’s such a bad ass and just doesn’t give a fuck that you can’t help but love him. The rest of the cast are ok, not brilliant. The gore is top notch though. I don’t know what the budget was, but it seems decent enough as the effects are fantastic. Best of all though is the soundtrack. With great tunes by Billy Idol and Motley Crue to name but a few, it’s banging. If you haven’t seen it then give it a go. If you’re a horror fan then it’s a must.

I really enjoyed it, but found myself laughing a lot at some of the characters. Even the demons were funny, although not intentionally I don’t think. It’s not a particularly scary movie by any stretch, but is a good film to watch with some like minded pals. Enjoy!

Earlier this week a very, very interesting project was brought to my attention from my buddies over at http://www.thegoresplatteredcorner.com. This project involves some of the great directors of Italian horror and Giallo greatness. Names like Lamberto Bava, Ruggero Deodato and Umberto Lenzi to name but a few. It’s a project that you can help fund and recieve some great goodies if you do. The goodies depend on the amount donated, but there are some fantastic bits, like signed copies of the completed movie, an executive producer credit and even a replica of the mask from Lamberto Bava’s ‘Demons’.